Neko, Neko, Nekoness!
by crematosis
Summary: Due to some unexplained event, Albel now has whiskers a tail, and paws. And he's really unhappy about it. What caused this? Was it a potion gone wrong or a disease which could be contagious?
1. An Unpleasant Discovery

A/N: I decided it was time for me to torture Albel again. XD He's been acting like the cocky, arrogant warrior that he usually is, so I decided to take him down a peg, or maybe a lot of pegs. XD Anyway, presenting the world's cutest Albel!

Albel: Shut up before I decide to slit your throat.

Disclaimer: Albel and Fayt aren't mine…but my kitteh looks eerily like Albel.

Fayt wasn't exactly lazy, but now and then he liked to take a break from the hectic pace of battle and just relax. Normally Albel would be pushing the group to go back out and fight, but since he was nowhere in sight, Fayt was happily curled up in a chair reading a good book.

A sudden crash from the kitchen caught Fayt's attention. With a sigh, he reluctantly marked his page and went to investigate.

Entering the kitchen, Fayt was surprised and delighted to see a black and brown striped kitten with a purple satin collar sprawled out on the floor. "What are you doing here?"

"I have a right to be in here," answered a familiar voice.

Fayt panicked and began looking around for Albel, worried that the warrior would discover his secret weakness for cats.

"Right here, fool. I'm lying on the floor."

The kitten turned baleful eyes on Fayt.

Fayt jumped back, nearly knocking over a shelf of pans, which he had to quickly steady.

Albel snickered. "Clumsy as usual, I see."

Fayt wanted to explain the situation to Albel, but he wasn't sure how to break it to Albel, so he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "You just startled me. Uh….what are you doing on the floor?"

Albel narrowed his eyes. "I'm not sure exactly. One minute I'm lying in bed with a stomachache and then the next think I know I'm here. If this is someone's idea of a joke, it's not funny. As soon as I find out who it is, I'll slit their throat."

Fayt laughed nervously and Albel glanced at him, his tail twitching. "Why are you so jumpy, fool? Did you have anything to do with it?"

Fayt wasn't sure what to think of the situation. It was amusing to see Albel as a kitten, but Albel could probably still find some way to kill him even as a cat. Besides, being cute and cuddly was not Albel's idea of fun, so he would be even grumpier than usual.

Fayt sighed deeply. "You really don't know, do you? I'll get you a mirror."

Fayt left the kitchen and returned with a small mirror and held it up to Albel. "See?"

Albel sounded surprised. "How'd that cat get in there?"

"No, Albel, that's you. The mirror lets you see yourself."

"I am not a cat," Albel said stiffly.

Fayt groaned impatiently. "Yes you are. Look." He seized one of Albel's paws and held it up to the warrior's face.

Albel snatched his paw back and his tail lashed back and forth angrily. "When I find out who did this, I'll skin him alive and boil his entrails. Nobody turns Albel Nox into a fluffball! Just wait until I get my sword."

Fayt rolled his eyes and sighed. "Albel, you can't hold a sword like this."

Albel bared his teeth in a snarl. "But I have claws. I'll rip his throat out."

Fayt groaned. "This'll be a long day."


	2. The fur will go flying

A/N: Another chapter of cute adorable Albel!

Albel: I am NOT cute.

Disclaimer: Too disclaimed for you. Haha...take that. Ahem…Cutest of the cute Fayt and now Albel do not belong to me..i'm just borrowing them for fannish purposes. Just try to figure out what I made Fayt say…muahha…the ebil emanates from me.

Cliff was not amused when Fayt rushed into his room screaming incoherenly. "Cliffcomeonalbelsbeenturnedintoacatandyoumusthelp!"

Fayt tugged on his arm, but Cliff resisted. "I can't understand a word you're saying, kid."

Fayt sighed heavily and returned holding a kitten.

Cliff raised an eyebrow. "So, you have a cat?"

"Itsnotjustacatitsalbel!" Fayt hollered.

Cliff stared and scratched his head, trying to figure out what Fayt was saying.

"Put me down, fool," Albel growled. "I can still walk." He squirmed in Fayt's grip and at last bit him. Fayt let go and Albel dropped to the ground, landing on his feet. Albel stalked off to a corner and lifted a back leg to begin grooming it.

Cliff looked startled. "You mean…"

"Yes, Albel turned into a cat," Fayt said calmly. "I have no idea how it happened."

Cliff glanced at Albel. "Uh, Albel? What are you doing?"

Albel's tongue stopped midway down his leg. He lifted his head. "I'm-" His eyes narrowed. "Stop watching me! I need privacy."

Cliff bit back a laugh. "Heh, this is a very interesting predicament."

Albel's eyes narrowed. "Why do you say that, worm?"

"Oh, it's just that seeing how you're small and furry and all, I'm sure the girls will go mad over you." Cliff grinned.

Albel gave Cliff a look that would have terrified most people. Cliff didn't seem to be affected. The Klausian was either very brave, or too stupid to know that mortal peril awaited him.

Albel eyed Cliff dangerously. "So you're saying I'm cute and cuddly?"

Cliff grinned widely. "Exactly. I'd be a little afraid of those girls if I were you, Albel."

Albel's tail twitched lazily. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, I think they could overpower you in your current state."

Cliff was only barely aware of a throaty feline purr before Albel jumped on his leg snarling, "I'll show you what it means to be afraid! I'll show you overpowered!"

"Ouch!' Cliff grumbled as Albel bit into his leg. "Get off!" He attempted to shake Albel off.

Albel clung on stubbornly with his claws and began crawling up Cliff's leg, biting as he went. "Let's see, right about…here." Albel bit hard.

Cliff let out a bloodcurdling scream of pain. "Owwwwwww! Why did you have to go there?"

Albel's tail flicked lazily and he purred happily as Cliff collapsed to the ground.

"You are an evil cat," Fayt said sternly, scooping Albel off Cliff's fallen frame.

Albel looked pleased with himself. "Yes, but he deserved it. I may be cute, but I'm not cuddly...and on second thought, if you call me cute I'll bite you too."

Fayt sighed. "You're not adapting very easily to this, are you?"

"Nope," Albel said cheerfully. "Get over it. I'm not going to change."

Sophia rushed in. "I heard a scream and I thought..." Her eyes widened as she was Cliff lying on the floor. "Oh my god, you killed him!" she looked at Fayt accusingly.

Fayt quickly held Albel behind his back to shield him from Sophia. Albel didn't like this so he began clawing Fayt's back. Fayt winced in pain, but he was determined to be strong.

Mirage walked swiftly into the room. "Why is there so much noise in here?"

"He's dead," Sophia wailed, pointing at Cliff.

Mirage knelt and took cliff's pulse. "No, he's not. He's just unconscious I think."

Cliff groaned. "I'm in pain."

"What happened?" Mirage asked gently.

"Albel attacked me," Cliff muttered.

Sophia stepped forward and looked Fayt in the eyes. "I should have known you didn't hurt Cliff," she said earnestly. "You were staying behind to help him. Now, tell me where Albel went so we can bring him to justice for framing you."

"Err..." said Fayt, slightly reluctant.

"Fayt, you better tell me," Sophia said warningly. "Stop shielding him."

At that moment, Albel chewed a hole in the back of Fayt's shirt and was digging into Fayt's bare skin. Fayt yelped and brought Albel out from behind his back.

Sophia was momentarily speechless. Her eyes widened in surprise and then before Fayt could do anything, she swept Albel out of Fayt's arms. "So cute!" she shrieked.

'Let go of me, you stupid wench!" Albel snarled, biting at Sophia's hands.

Sophia dropped Albel in shock. She looked worried. 'You mean…that adorably cute cat is Albel?"

Fayt sighed. "Yes, I'm afraid so."

Sophia looked sad. "It's a shame. He's so cute. But he probably won't let me hug him."

"Yes, probably not," Fayt agreed.

"Why couldn't someone nicer be cute?" Sophia wailed. Fayt awkwardly patted her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

Albel still seemed pleased. "Well, if you need me, I'll be finding someone else to maul." He padded towards the door.

Cliff stopped him. He rose painfully to his feet and dragged Albel away from the door. "You're not leaving until we figure a few things out."

"Like what?" Albel was instantly suspicious. He regarded Cliff warily.

"First of all, we need someone to look after you."

"I can take care of myself," Albel growled, flexing his claws in case someone wanted to argue.

Cliff carefully ignored this. "And that person will also make sure you don't kill everyone else."

Albel snarled. "Just how long do you think I'll be a cat anyway?"

Cliff shrugged. "No idea. We don't know what caused it. Maybe it was some weird type of potion."

Albel looked menacingly at Sophia, but she shrugged innocently.

"Anyway," Cliff continued. "I'll let you have a few hours to think it over and then you can tell me who you picked to look out for you. That way, if you act up, we can have a word with them about watching you more carefully."

Albel snickered and his tail twitched with amusement. "Oh yes, I'll find the perfect person."


	3. Arrangements

A/N: Yes, more Albel! Woohooo…I happen to be quite fond of him in an "omg, I want to hug you, please don't kill me" sort of way. XD I'm trying rather courageously to keep Albel as Albel even as a kitten…so review, please? Also, I'm having wisdom teeth pulled...maybe I won't write for a bit if I feel too yucky…all the more reason to review to cheer me up:D

Disclaimer:-kicks computer- why can't what I write appear in the game? Oh, maybe because I don't own the game….

Albel had spent a few hours wandering around, talking with everyone. Now Cliff was calling Albel to meet with everyone and announce his choice of a caretaker.

"Okay, Albel, so who have you decided?" Cliff asked, settling into a chair.

Albel sighed heavily and began pacing the center of the room. "Although I would rather take care of myself-"Albel began.

"Not an option," Cliff interrupted.

"Yes, I know," Albel snapped. "Now shut up, maggot or I'll bit you again, harder."

Cliff froze and carefully slid one hand down into his lap, for protection.

"Ewww!" Sophia shrieked. "He bit you there? Albel, you're so nasty!"

Albel chuckled wickedly. "Okay, Sophia is out. And me as well." He looked murderously at Cliff, but the man wisely kept his mouth shut.

"I doubt Cliff wants me, since I bit him," Albel continued. "And the rest of you…" He looked at them with narrowed eyes. "I'm not sure you all are worthy of me."

"Haven't you got that backwards?" Maria said irritably.

Albel laughed. "Ah yes, Maria is allergic to cats. She threatened to shoot me if I came nay closer. Despite how much I would love to annoy her, it's really not worth getting shot." He sighed heavily.

"Have you made a choice?" Cliff prodded.

"I'm getting there, worm," Albel said impatiently. "Nel is out of the question. I can't have an Aquarian wench look after me. She'll probably murder me in my sleep." Albel turned up his nose and Nel merely rolled her eyes.

"Adray is just too weird and Peppita and Roger are both too young. I won't trust a kid that barely old enough to look out for themselves."

"Isn't that everybody now?" Cliff asked uncertainly.

"What about me?" Fayt said softly.

"Oh good, someone's left," Cliff said cheerfully.

Albel squinted at Fayt. "Fine, you'll do."

Everyone left the room, patting Fayt on the shoulder and either congratulating him or wishing him luck. Soon only Fayt and Albel were left.

Albel sat and glared at Fayt as best as he could. Fayt felt he should begin somewhere so he ventured, "Would you like to sleep in my room?"

The tip of Albel's tail twitched. "Are you suggesting I sleep on your floor?" Albel's voice rose slightly with anger.

"Oh no, of course not. You can sleep on my bed. I have some extra blankets. Or we can make you your own little bed, out of a box or something, or I could try to invent a really small bed just your size, or maybe-" Fayt realized he was rambling and he cut himself off in embarrassment.

Albel rose and slowly padded towards the door. "I will be fine sleeping on your bed, fool. I'm not shy. But remember, just because I'm a cat doesn't make me any different form as I was as a human. Don't expect any warm fuzzies. Just because I'm forced to have you as a babysitter doesn't make you my friend."

Fayt sighed. "Yes, Albel."


	4. Fleas

A/N: Err..yeah…I'm really sorry for taking so long to update….or maybe I'm not. Maybe I'm just lazy and doing too many things at once. I didn't even realize it took so long to update until a kind reader reminded me that some of my stories haven't been updated in over 6 months. Ouch! So…that means it's up to you to e-mail me, send me PMs…whatever it takes if you truly want to see a story finished…I have 22 stories going right now and more ideas in the works…if you don't want your favorite story to get lost in the shuffle…it's up to you to notify me so it gets on a priority list, okay?

Disclaimer: God, I hate these things…yes, I don't own Fayt and Albel. But I swear…my cat's just like Albel.

"Why must this fur be so uncomfortable?" Albel growled, biting his side. "The fleas are unbearable and it is much too hot for this silly Aquarian weather. I want to go back to Airyglyph immediately!"

Fayt sighed as Albel raised a hind leg to itch at his flank and then bite down again at the same spot, barely suppressing an irritated snarl. Albel was not adjusting well to the life of a cat.

"Albel, Airyglyph is a little too cold-" Fayt began.

"I'll manage nicely, fool. I've got this thick coat of fur on that will keep me plenty warm in the cold but will roast me in the sunny-Aargh, these fleas!" Albel let out a frustrated cry and he rubbed himself up against a tree to itch himself.

Fayt hesitated. "Err…I mean, it's too cold for the rest of us."

Albel narrowed his eyes and glared at Fayt. "Oh, so you're putting your own selfish desires above my needs? Can't you see that I hate it here? I bet there are no fleas in Airyglyph," he said stubbornly.

Fayt sighed. "Well, if I teak you there, no one else will come with us. They're ready to go back to the Diplo and take a break. They've had enough of Aquaria too, but I think they want to go somewhere new."

"Bah," Albel muttered. "Those maggots, always looking for trouble. Airyglyph isn't exciting enough for them?" he sneered.

"Albel, I don't quit think that's the-"

"Silence, fool!" Albel snapped, his tail lashing back and forth. "I've had enough of this. I am going whether anyone else is going or not. It'd probably save me a lot of trouble to get away from those annoying worms."

"Alright." Fayt sighed heavily. "I'll let everyone know that we'll be heading off to Airyglyph and they can come if they want."

Everyone was preparing to leave the Aquarian inn and head back to the Diplo. They had spent the previous day battling and now they were ready for the ship to take them someone new.

"Umm, Albel and I will be heading off to Airyglyph," Fayt said softly. "He's too hot with all his fur to be in Aquaria much longer, or for that matter, anywhere else."

"Well, shave it off then," Cliff said briskly. "He's coming with the rest of us."

"Cliff, he was born in Airyglyph. He'd probably be too hot even without his fur."

"True," Cliff said, looking thoughtful. "Well, either way, we can't risk the two of you wandering off on your own. We're all going together. Safety in numbers, ya know?"

"Albel's not going to be happy about this," Fayt warned.

"Eh, he can deal with it. The Diplo has air conditioning. He'll be fine. Now come on, Fayt, let's get going!"

Fayt sighed and headed back to tell Albel. "Come on, Cliff says we're going with everybody else." He scooped Albel up in his arms and carried him into the ship.

"What?!" Albel snarled. "Put me down at once! I demand to stay behind."

"Tough luck," Cliff said firm. "We work as a team and that means no one gets left behind. Now, we'll just stay here on the ship for a little bit. Rest up, train a bit. Then we'll decide where to go from there. Okay?"

"Hmph," Albel muttered. "Well, I won't be responsible for what happens if I become bored. No monsters to train against, nothing to do!"

"Look, it's nice and cool on the Diplo. You'll be fine. We have plenty to eat, port windows so you can look out at the stars, and some battle simulators. Fayt's particularly fond of those things. I t won't hurt to give it a try, am I right?"

Albel wiggled out of Fayt's arms and landed lightly on the floor. "As long as this big metal thing doesn't crash…but if you're driving it, we don't have much hope."

"Oh, Maria's taking care of that. After all, if I'm talking to you, I can't be flying this heap can I?" Cliff said cheerfully.

Albel made an irritated noise and stalked off to go find something exciting to do.

Cliff waited until he was gone and then put a hand on Fayt's shoulder. "Don't tell Albel about this, okay? But we'd like Albel to stay on the Diplo for a little bit so he doesn't scare away the townspeople. I don't think a talking cat quite fits in."

"But Albel can't stay here forever. He won't be able to stand it for long."

"I know. That's another reason why he's here. We're going to run tests on him and see what caused his er…transformation and see if we can reverse it. The Diplo has plenty of equipment. I'm sure we can find something."

Fayt sighed. "Alright, Cliff. I won't tell him. I'll just try to keep an eye on him and make sure he isn't causing too much trouble."


	5. You call this food?

A/N: With A.P. testing and the like, I haven't had much time to work on stories...atlhough I've written up a few chapters for some new stories that I refuse to post until I finish some of the ones I'm already working on, like this one. But don't worry, they'll be finished eventually.

Disclaimer: I own...nothing really...and no fayts or albel's were harmed making this.

"You've got to be kidding me," Fayt growled.

"What's the big deal?" Cliff asked.

Fayt pointed to a small pet bowl on the table. "You're expecting Albel to eat THAT?"

"It's salmon," Cliff said defensively. "Cats like salmon."

"Albel is not a real cat," Fayt said acidly.

"So what? He has a cat's body. He'll eat it, I'm sure."

"What if Albel's a vegetarian?"

Cliff guffawed. "Albel a vegetarian? That's a good one, Fayt. No, vegetarians are more of the tree hugging types that don't like to see anything get killed."

"Albel doesn't have to eat what he kills," Fayt said stubbornly.

"Oh yeah? And he's going to let all the meat he could be eating go to waste?"

"Albel's a soldier, not a hunter," Fayt snapped.

"Albel still doesn't seem the vegetarian type."

"You don't know what Albel likes to eat," Fayt insisted. "None of us do. Honestly, when have you ever seen Albel eat?"

Cliff considered. "That's true. No wonder he's so skinny."

"Exactly. I've been with him all day yesterday and he didn't eat anything except a dead mou-" Fayt clapped a hand over his mouth. "Uh-oh."

Cliff grinned. "Point proven. Albel will eat whatever a cat eats."

"I still think it's cruel to him," Fayt argued. "If you want him to have salmon, don't give him canned cat food. I'm sure that tastes gross."

"You've never even tasted canned cat food," Cliff reminded him. "Besides, if Albel will eat a dead mouse I'm pretty sure he's not a picky eater."

"I still think that was just to gross me out," Fayt muttered mutinously.

"You can think whatever you want, but that's what we're giving him. Nel put me in charge of making sure everyone gets fed. The rest of us are eating whatever Sophia's making. Honestly, I think you've got things mixed up. We'll suffer eating Sophia's food and Albel will get to eat something unscathed."

Fayt smiled softly. "I guess you're right, Cliff. I'll go call in everyone for dinner."

A few minutes later, everyone was heading into the dining area to eat. Albel walked in last, his head and tail held high, still attempting to be proud and dignified despite his situation. He sized up the arrangement and leapt gracefully onto a chair.

"No, Albel. That's my chair," Fayt said firmly. He picked up Albel and placed him gently on the floor. Then Fayt sat down.

Albel's eyes narrowed and he hopped again onto the chair, landing in Fayt's lap. He balanced himself with one hind leg on each of Fayt's thighs and his two front paws on the table.

"Get off me," Fayt growled, trying to push Albel's puffy tail out of his face.

"There's nowhere for me to sit," Albel hissed.

Cliff pushed Albel out of Fayt's lap. "He told you to get off."

"I need to eat too," Albel growled. He jumped up onto the table and paced around, looking at everyone's plates.

"Albel, get off of there," Fayt snapped. "It's rude to walk on the table."

Albel sat on the table in front of Fayt's plate and glared at him. "It's ruder to choose not to include me."

"We are including you. I've set a place just for you." Cliff pointed to the bowl set on the ground.

"Why you-" Albel began, bristling.

Fayt lunged forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Albel, pinning Albel's limbs against his body.

Albel yowled and struggled but could not get free.

"Here, you won't have to eat on the floor," Fayt said softly. "We'll both go eat in the kitchen, okay?" he carried the still struggling Albel into the kitchen and shut the door.

"Why's Fayt being so nice to Albel all of a sudden?" Cliff muttered.

"Fayt has a lot of compassion," Sophia said proudly. "It's one of the qualities of a good leader."

"If you ask me, I think he's getting a little soft in the head," Maria muttered. "Who knows what Albel could do to Fayt with no witnesses? When Fayt gets back, his eyes may be clawed out."

"You worry too much," Sophia said irritably. "Fayt can take care of himself…I think," she ended uncertainly.


End file.
